We just came back from a trip to Morocco -- and it only took us a few hours! We went to the beautiful Tropenmuseum here in Amsterdam, where we boarded a plane to Marrakesh and entered a medina of little streets and rooms to discover. Before the departure of the 'plane', the children were handed ...

Anne Frank is a name that is familiar to most if not all. Her world-famous diary is translated in over 60 languages worldwide, and the story of her family hiding in Amsterdam during WWII is universally known. We can all envision the photos of Anne's sweet face, showing a girl on the verge of adolescence. I ...

The Efteling is a theme park in the south of the Netherlands and it's (as far as theme parks go) really adorable. The heart of the park, the Fairytale Forest, launched 70 years ago in 1952 with beautifully designed attractions based on whimsical illustrations by Anton Pieck. Nowadays, the Efteling has expanded beyond the Fairytale ...

For its small geographical size, Amsterdam is home to an impressive number of museums and galleries, many of which are family friendly. The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam is located in the iconic Muesumplein (alongside the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum) and showcases a fine collection of modern and contemporary art. The Stedelijk Museum is one of ...

One of the most enriching and enjoyable experiences when travelling to a new place can be found in visiting the local markets -- somewhere you can truly immerse yourself in local culture and cuisine. Markets always offer beautiful seasonal produce, fresh foods and an atmosphere that is representative of where you are. In Amsterdam there ...

As the weather starts to cool down noticeably here in the Northern Hemisphere and Winter fast approaches, it is the perfect time to start discovering some of the lovely indoor spaces available to families in Amsterdam. The Amsterdam Central Library, situated an easy walking distance from the Central Station, contains a beautiful and large space ...

One of the oldest zoos in Europe, Artis Royal Zoo was opened in 1851 and has a very beautiful setting, with stunning gardens, monumental 19th century buildings and it is right in the centre of the city. What's particularly special about Artis is that many of the animal enclosures are actually integrated and housed within the historic architecture -- making ...

Located in the middle of the canal district we loved visiting this small but very interesting canal house. Still owned by the aristocratic Van Loon family you will find some parts of the house closed off for obvious reasons, but the parts which remain open are simply stunning. The house gives you a real insight ...

Amsterdam's botanical garden, the Hortus Botanicus, was established in 1638 as a medical garden and is now one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world. It's a fairly small botanical garden, but it still houses over 4,000 plant species (about 2% of all plant species growing on Earth), amongst which are a good selection of ...

The Zaanse Schans windmills are a popular tourist attraction all year round, and their location just outside of Amsterdam makes for an easy day trip there. The windmills, which were relocated to Zaanse Schans in the 1960s , provide a glimpse into 18th and 19th Century life in the Netherlands, whereby these large wooden machines were used ...

If you have young children and are considering a day trip from Amsterdam, the Miffy Museum (or 'Nijntje' as she is called in Dutch) is the perfect place to visit. This sweet little museum is situated in the beautiful city of Utrecht - only a half hour train ride from Amsterdam. It has been so ...

Amsterdam's Jewish Historical Museum consists of four important Amsterdam synagogues, dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, which were connected with the use of glass, concrete and steel. The large, ancient spaces of the four former synagogues together with the light and modern additions make this museum a wonderfully fresh and pleasurable place to be! The ...

In the 17th century, the Dutch Golden Age, it was the fashion for Amsterdam's wealthiest merchants to buy a plot of land outside the city and build themselves a stately country house. The beautiful old House Frankendael, located about a mile east from the city centre in Watergraafsmeer, is one of those country estates and ...

After taking the children to the Rembrandt House a while ago, we thought it would be a good idea to now take them to the Rijksmuseum to see Rembrandt's most famous painting, the Nachtwacht (Night Watch). The Rijksmuseum is Amsterdam's Arts, Craft and History museum and houses a large and important collection of paintings from the Dutch ...

Last weekend we did something unexpectedly fabulous: we took the children to Rembrandt's House. Rembrandt, as you might know, was a very famous Dutch painter who lived from 1607 till 1669. From 1625 onwards he lived in Amsterdam. For a big part of his live he was very rich, already well known in his time, ...

The Hollandsche Manege translates to 'The Dutch Riding School', and the manner in which it is spelled (in Dutch) conveys that we are talking about an OLD riding school here. The building, based on the Spanish Riding School in Vienna and located on the Northern edge of the Vondelpark, dates back to 1882 and was ...

The Tropenmuseum (Tropical Institute) of Amsterdam is one of those museums where you walk in and feel the grandeur of what once was... I have that same feeling in similar beautiful buildings, like the Natural History Museum in London, or the Royal Museum of Central Africa in Brussels... It's about anthropology, discovery, history, about dangerous ...

On the edge of the Vondelpark in Amsterdam there is a wonderful place to bring your kids: the Kinderkookcafé (Childrens' Cooking Café). The fact that it is a café is good news for the parents - they can meet up and have a cup of coffee and a simple snack like a sandwich, soup or ...

Monday: Go out for breakfast in the Bakkerswinkel. A basket of different sorts of bread, muffins, scones and croissants makes way to your table accompanied by a much needed coffee and orange juice. Fancy jams can be found on the table. Open from 7AM - what a wonderful way to start the week! After, take ...

NEMO is a fantastic building in the heart of Amsterdam designed by the world famous Italian architect Renzo Piano. It resembles a big ship heading for the ocean and it houses a great place to entertain your children. Their cute motto is: forbidden NOT to touch! I read on the NEMO website that the primary ...